Fruit Salad Lower Fat Muffins

Pineapple, banana, apple and strawberry add up to a fruit salad muffin!

These muffins are my new favorite go to treat. They are lower in fat than regular muffins and have quite a bit of fruit in them. The kids love them as a school snack and I like them with a cup of coffee (ok my husband doesn't like them but that's because they contain bananas!). The original recipe came from Anne Lindsay's cookbook, New Light Cooking which has quite a few delicious recipes to try. I've added different fruits and spice to my version but kept the whole wheat goodness of the original.

Makes 12 muffins. They will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days but you can freeze them for up to two months! Each muffin contains about 200 calories, 5 grams of fat and 3 grams of fibre, and 4 grams of protein.

The dollop of jam adds a nice burst of flavour.

Ingredients
2 c whole wheat flour
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 c berry sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c mashed banana
1/4 c grated peeled apple
1/4 c finely chopped strawberries
1/2 c crushed pineapple (drained)
1/4 c milk
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c fruit jam

What to do

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Lightly spray muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray (according to Anne Lindsay, lower fat muffins tend to stick to paper liners!)
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, flax, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
4. In another bowl slightly beat egg.
5. To the egg, add vanilla, all fruit, oil, and milk.
6. Pour the egg mixture over the flour and stir to just barely combine (if you over stir the muffins will be tough!).
7. Divide batter evenly amongst 12 muffins tins. Make a small well in the centre of each and add a little fruit jam to each.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes.

These muffins stay moist thanks to the fruit!